Aerogels - World’s Lightest Solids
Description: Aerogels are a group of synthetic materials that are incredibly light and also amazing insulators. They have numerous applications such as insulators in electronics. Aerogels were used as thermal insulators in the Mars Rover and also act to filter space dust. This phenomenon could be used as an application of chemical engineering or as an example of a thermal insulators.
Web Resource: Aerogel - Wikipedia
Earthships
Description: An Earthship is a passive solar house that is designed to be off the electrical grid. It is generally constructed with natural and recycled materials. Much of the structure of the house is made with recycled tires that are filled with dirt. Thermal mass from the dirt, solar energy from the Sun, and cross-ventilation are used to keep the temperature within the house in a comfortable zone. This phenomenon can be used study thermal energy transfer, energy conservation, and human sustainability.
Web Resource: Earthship - Wikipedia
The Drinking Bird
Description: The drinking bird is a toy heat engine. The source of energy in this phenomenon is a mystery to most students. It is said that Albert Einstein and his wife Elsa were fascinated with this toy when they visited Shanghai in the 1920's.
Web Resources: The Engineering of the Drinking Bird, The Drinking Bird - Wikipedia
